


Crossed Paths

by romxnogersav



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Detectives, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blackmail, Drinking, Explicit Language, F/M, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Murder, Name-Calling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:09:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25594813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/romxnogersav/pseuds/romxnogersav
Summary: Homicide Detective Steve Rogers is assigned on a case. His goal? Find out who the killer is and bring them to justice. This proves to be a hard task when he has no lead to go after, until your paths cross. He hasn’t seen you in three years, yet he wants you to help him finish his case.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Reader, James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson, Natasha Romanov & Reader, Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov, Steve Rogers/Reader
Comments: 1
Kudos: 20





	Crossed Paths

**Author's Note:**

> This piece was written for a challenge on Tumblr. It's a one-shot from back in March, that I'm just now adding to my AO3.
> 
> My prompt: “If you were logical you would’ve killed me already”
> 
> This was inspired by the series "Castle". Please read the note at the end, as well!
> 
> I hope you like this! Enjoy!💕

Word got out fast in the city of New York, even faster if the murder of one of New York’s richest was tied to it, and one of New York’s finest detectives was assigned on the case.

Detective Steve Rogers from the 12th precinct in the city. 

And it was expected for word to get out, Steve expected the tabloids and the press to start reporting on the murder in a matter of hours. There was something that he didn’t expect though when he started working on the murder of weapons manufacturer and C.E.O, Justin Hammer. It was for his path to get crossed with yours.

He didn’t expect to have to take you into custody, to have you sitting on the other side of the one-way mirror, sat on a chair in the interrogation room of the precinct. 

He looked at you through the mirror, observing you, your stance, and your expression.

You looked calm like you weren’t even fazed that you were being accused of breaking and entering, possibly even a murder. 

Your right leg was draped over your left, your hands played with a bracelet on one of your wrists.

Your face was stoic, unmoving. You were waiting for the detective, you were waiting for Steve to get in and start his interrogation, but all he could do was stare. 

He hadn’t seen you in three years, not since the day you gave your resignation, moved out of your old apartment, and never called again. It was like you didn’t even know each other. It was like you hadn’t trained together, worked together, been together. 

He couldn’t avert his gaze from you, he missed you, he had so many questions. What happened? Why did you choose to leave? Why didn’t you say something? 

But it wasn’t the time, and certainly, it wasn’t the place. 

The door opened and detectives Natasha Romanoff, James “Bucky” Barnes, and Sam Wilson walked into the room from where Steve was watching you. 

Barnes spared a glance at his childhood best friend, thinking over what he could say. 

“So, Y/N is back?” He opted for, at last, turning his gaze to you in the interrogation room. 

“She hasn’t changed a lot,” Natasha said, looking forward at her best friend, or ex for that matter. 

When you had resigned, moved, and cut ties with Steve, you had ended up cutting ties with everyone else too. No one had heard from you in the last three years, not Steve, not Bucky, not even Natasha who was once your best friend. 

“Wait you know each other?” Wilson spoke, trying to understand what was going on.

“We tainted together at the academy, worked together as officers and we were partnered as detectives later on” Rogers finally spoke up, averting his gaze from you for a moment. 

“Y/N and Steve were more than just partners when we rose to detectives,” Bucky said, earning a slap to the back of the head from Natasha. Steve eyed his friend for a second but quickly looked back at you.

He could still remember what it was like working with you, the rush, how easy it was to coordinate himself with you. He could still remember what it was being with you. Having you close, looking at you every morning, seeing your smile, holding you, kissing you. 

Sam cleared his throat next to him, interrupting his train of thoughts, for the better. 

“So you have history?”

“All of us do” Natasha spoke quietly. She missed you, a lot. When you resigned and took off, it left an impact on every single one of them.

Steve focused on you. He wanted to be able to talk to you so bad, but this wasn’t the time, and definitely not the place. He had a job to do. 

He spared you one last glance, seeing you lift your head and look at the mirror before he exhaled, walking to the door. 

“Hey,” Natasha said after him, making him turn around and look at her. “You sure you’ve got this? I can take over if you want” she wasn’t entirely sure that he should be the one to talk to you or do it alone. 

“Yeah, I’ve got it” he finalized and walked right out the door and into the interrogation room when you were waiting for him. 

**Three hours earlier**

It was the second day of the murder investigation. The autopsy had come a couple of hours ago. Just like doctor Banner had originally stated, Hammer was killed by three gunshot wounds to the chest. 

Ballistics showed that the bullets that Bruce extracted from the body were from a 07mm gun. There were rifling imprints on them, so if they found the weapon and matched the bullets, it could also potentially lead them to the killer.

The time of death was between 9:30 PM and 11:00 PM on Tuesday night. 

It was Thursday midday and Steve was at a loss of leads. Outside of the autopsy and interrogating Hammer’s assistant, Christine Everhart, he had barely anything. 

Christine wasn’t of much help, if he was honest he could easily say that the blond was nothing more than a clueless doll that got paid to keep her mouth shut. 

She straight up, set the blame on Tony Stark, a rival weapons manufacturer, and C.E.O of Stark Industries. She stated that there had always been unresolved beef between the two CEO’s, so Stark would probably have a solid motive for killing Hammer. 

Natasha was trying to get to Tony Stark so they could question him as well, motive was motive and Stark sure had one. 

Bucky and Sam were looking into Hammer’s phone records and schedule.

And Steve? He was trying to grab for something that was missing because he had a gut feeling that there was indeed something that had to be in the picture but was simply hidden. 

He was about to go through all they’ve had again when his phone rang. 

“Rogers” he answered with a stern voice. The call was coming from Hammer Industries, someone had broken in on the 29th floor, the floor where Hammer was killed. 

Steve took his jacket and left the precinct. 

Twenty minutes later, he pulled upfront of Hammer Industries and quickly got in.

There were two security guards in front of the receptionist's desk along with the receptionist himself.

“Detective Steve Rogers, NYPD. I got a call for breaking and entering on the 29th floor where the crime scene was” he said, showing his badge then putting his hands on his hips. 

“Yes, that’s right. I’m Jordan Parish, I was the one that reported it. They broke into Mr. Hammer’s office” the receptionist said, getting up and extending his hand for Steve to shake. 

“Is the person still up there?” Steve asked, getting his gun out and checking the safety. 

“Yeah, she is still up there.” 

“You two, with me. Parish, you stay put.” He said and led the two guards to the elevator. They took the elevator up to the 29th floor. 

Steve signaled the guards to lean against the side of the elevator, out of sight when the doors opened. 

He put up his gun when the doors opened and slowly peered outside. The corridor was vacant. On the left side stood the conference room, and on the right at the end of the hallway was Hammer’s office. 

He signaled the guards again to keep close to the wall and not make any risky moves. With his gun drawn up, he moved slowly towards the office, and just when he was outside, he heard it. 

The ruffling of papers, the almost silent movement, this person was good, but not good enough if they were about to get caught.

Through the glass door, he could see her looking through a file. 

As silently as possible, Steve threw the door opened and clicked the safety of his gun off. 

“NYPD, step back from the shelf and put your hands up” he almost yelled out. The suspect though did none of that. She had her back to Steve, so he couldn’t see her face. She wasn’t even fazed, she just continued to flip through pages almost boringly, as if she had been expecting him.

“I said, put your hands up where I can see them” he yelled again. She laughed, dry but soft sound filled the room. 

“ ** _If you were logical, you would have killed me already_** ” she quipped, dropping the file. She took a step back, put her hands up. The woman moved slowly, turning as if in slow motion, and when Steve saw her face, he almost wished he hadn’t. 

“Hello Steve,” she said, her face pulling up on a smirk that looked exactly the same way he remembered. 

“Y/N?” He almost couldn’t believe his eyes, he almost couldn’t believe that she was there, after all these years, after her sudden leave, he hadn’t expected it. 

She looked exactly the same. Luscious hair, breathtaking eyes, that same beautiful body that he was sure he could still map out, the smirk that always turned into a full-on smile. Everything was exactly the same on the outside.

“How about you put the gun away huh? I’m unarmed, scouts honor” she tilted her head a bit to the side, the smirk never leaving her face. 

“What are you doing here?” He asked, walking closer to her, not even lowering his gun. His head was spinning, full of questions, both to himself and her, but that one part of his brain still worked. The part where he was a detective first, and everything else second. 

“I was in the neighborhood”

“Don’t bullshit me.” 

“I’m not. Just scouting.”

“You are in the middle of the crime scene of an ongoing murder investigation, my murder investigation. So cut the crap and tell me what the hell is it that are looking for” he spat harshly. He didn’t mean to, but he wasn’t about to play this game that she was starting.

“You are forgetting I know the law too Rogers. So if you are going to arrest me, go on, because I’m not telling you anything” she spat back. Steve observed her for a long moment before moving closer. He lowered his gun and walked in front of her. 

“Not here” she mouthed when he was close enough. He spared her a confused look before he handcuffed her and led her out of the building. 

The ride back to the precinct was uncomfortable and silent, it almost sucked the air out of the vehicle. 

She wouldn’t say a word, and neither would he. It was like they were strangers as if they didn’t have history, as colleagues, as partners, as lovers. As if the other didn’t exist until now. 

**A few hours later**  
  
You had been sitting in the interrogation room for what felt like forever. You knew that he was on the other side, studying you, watching you, maybe he wasn’t even alone. 

You were getting bored when the door finally opened and Steve walked in, your heart almost skipped a beat. Almost. He had changed, but so had you. 

Now that you could actually get a good look at him even under the fluorescent light, you could tell he was different. 

He looked different. More mature, just a tad older. The once sticky hair he had was now much longer and slicked back. His once clean-shaven face was now exchanged for a well-trimmed beard. He was a lot more built now, his narrowed waist was now a bit thicker, but he was still as charming. 

When he came closer, you could see the little evident wrinkles on his face, but he still looked beautiful. 

He sat down with a sigh, leaning back in his chair. 

“So, you want to tell me what’s going on? Why am I catching you on my crime scene?” he asked seriously, awaiting your answer. 

“I wanted you to catch me, you ever thought of that?”

“Why were you on my crime scene?” He opted for, completely ignoring your question. 

“I was scouting, I told you already” you answered, crossing your arms over your chest, you leaned back as well. 

“Scouting for what?” 

“Now that’s a secret”

“A secret? I could charge you for obstruction of justice, so you better start talking because you were pretty reluctant to when I caught you” he snarled. He was meaner than you remembered him to be, but it had a charm to it.

“I couldn’t tell you anything in there. There are eyes and ears in every corner of that building”

“Okay, now that we are not there, you can start talking. What were you doing there?” He asked again. You could sense that he thought you might be guilty of something other than breaking into the crime scene, he probably even thought you to be the killer. 

“Relax, I didn’t kill him. I was there to do my job”

“Your job?”

“Yeah. I work for Tony Stark”

“Stark? So you were there to what? Clear his mess?”

“No, the country actually. I was there to check something” 

“Check what?”

“Your little barbie was right, there has always been tension between Tony and Justin” You started and leaned forward. “A few months back Tony presented the Mark 8 to the world and the US government took an interest. They wanted to make a deal with Tony involving a huge sum of money. He declined because from August of this year Stark Industries will no longer be a weapons manufacturing industry.” You said and leaned back again. You saw something shift in Steve’s demeanor. He was processing the information. 

“So you are saying that Stark is shutting down his own business?” 

“I’m saying that Tony is changing his ways. Anyways, recently there has been talk, rumors, that somehow Hammer has gotten his hands on a schematic of the Mark 8, so Tony wanted me to see if it was true. That’s why I was there” 

“And? Did you found what you were looking for? Is it true?” 

“Yes and I have proof,” you said and stood from the chair, moving back to your left, you stood next to the table. You leaned forward, reached into your booth, and took out a silver flash drive. 

“What’s that?” Steve asked when you put the drive on the table.

“Your proof in the form of a little gift from Tony and I, and the mainframe of Hammer’s secure account,” you said, sitting back down on the chair. You leaned back, crossed your arms over your chest, and waited for his next question. 

“How do I know what you are saying is true?” 

“I could have fled that building long before you came, but I didn’t, because I wanted you to catch me. I know you have nothing except that bimbo’s words, so I’m giving you something” 

“Okay, what do you have?” 

“Late last year when Tony decided it was time Stark Industries took on a different direction, there were some people that didn’t agree. Obadiah Stane was one of those people. He tried to sabotage what Tony was working on, so Stark fired him and cut ties with him, and let’s say he didn’t take it well. My guess is that he took a schematic of the Mark 8 with himself when he left”

“Okay, but, if what you are telling is true, how did that get into Hammer’s hands?” Steve asked, sparing a glance at the mirror behind him. Someone was watching, and you knew it, they, your ex-friends and colleagues were there. 

“Hate, jealousy, call it what you will. Stane was stripped from something he had a hand in for a long time, he didn’t like it. He could rise again in the feet of a rival company, and not just to spite Tony.”

“Hammer Industries”

“Exactly. So my lucky guess is that a little before the launch of Mark 8, Stane went to Hammer and they struck a deal. There was a missing piece in whatever plan they had thought”

“Care to elaborate”

“No one knows how to make an arc reactor, no one expect for Tony, well we thought it was no one.” Steve looked at you dumbfounded expecting you to continue. 

“Ivan Vanko or a known associate of Hammer’s is the son of Anton Vanko, a once brilliant scientist, who was later on disgraced by Tony’s father, Howard Stark. Back in the eighties, Vanko and Howard were partners. It was Anton and Howard who made the original arc reactor, but after Vanko was accused of espionage, Howard took all credit. Ivan must have found an old schematic or something because around the time of the launch Ivan Vanko started working with Hammer” 

“You are saying that the three of them were plotting against Stark?”

“I’m saying that you have two influential individuals and a scientist with someone else’s work in their hands, a whole lot of grudges and money. They could have made billions after Tony got out of business, and they knew it”

“That still doesn’t help me solve the murder. From all you told me, it all leads back to Stark” 

“I know, Tony knows, and so does your killer. I little theory for you? They had to wait until Tony got out to catch that deal. What if someone had a different point of view? They fought, and now Justin is dead” Steve studied you for a second, thinking over your words closely. He shook his head and sighed.

“It makes sense, yeah, but all of this is circumstantial, we have no evidence to prove it, all of this points to Stark” he pointed at the flash drive on the table

“You think I don’t know that? That’s why I’m giving it to you, that’s why Tony designed it to be able to hack directly into their mainframe. Do you think Tony is dumb enough to give you things that point to him if he thought there wasn’t something that could find him innocent? There is something there and you better find it” you said, pointing back at the silver piece of tech. 

Steve looked at you, eyes meeting eyes, he was thinking something and you could tell. 

“You’ve changed” he stated, at last, leaned forward and crossed his arms over the table. 

“So have you” you answered back, relaxing a bit. It was Steve, a changed Steve, but still Steve. 

“I’ll look into this, I’ll check your theory, see if you are telling the truth, and then I want you to finish this case with me, for old time sake” he smiled, almost dangerously. You toyed with him, and now he was toying with you.

You thought about it, but you weren’t sure it was right. You left once, getting back into things will only serve to torment you. 

“I don’t take no for an answer. I can keep you here for twenty-four hours, and then charge you with obstruction of justice” he smirked, crossed his arms over his chest. You could see how ripped he had gotten, and God if you didn’t miss him. 

“I guess you haven’t changed that much after all” you quipped, smirking as well. The smirk soon turned into that smile that he used to love so much. “Okay, but so you know, you don’t get to play boss man with me, got it?” You asked tilting your head to the side a bit. 

“Noted. Welcome back Y/N”  
 _  
_ **Two days later  
**  
The last two days had been spent looking through the data that you had downloaded from the mainframe at Hammer Industries. You and Steve were restless, you reached for even the smallest of straws, you needed something. 

Everyone took your assistance in this case well, there were still the occasional looks you were given, but that didn’t stop you.

You met Sam Wilson, the new part of the little group you had once been a part of. He was a decent guy and a good cop.

You were drinking a coffee looking through the last data when Romanoff’s voice sounded from across the table. 

“Found something” you shot from your spot, rounding the table and leaning down to see what she was talking about. Steve, Bucky, and Sam in turn did the same. 

“What?” you asked.

“Seven months ago, a part of the company was signed to both Obadiah Stane and Ivan Vanko. Then, four months ago some of the numbers started acting up and a large sum of money was missing each week.” She said, pointing at the screen where the numbers stopped adding up.  
  
“And where did the money go?” Steve asked, getting his laptop from across the table.  
  
“To a bank account with number 62591218” 

“Running the number,” Steve said, fingers flying across the keyboard. A couple of seconds later the searched ended and the information showed on the screen.  
  
“It moves the money through four different continents and 12 different banks, before finally sending them into an offshore bank account in the Caimans.” Steve sighed, head falling in between his shoulders. 

“So it’s a dead-end?” Sam asked from somewhere behind you, but you were already moving around the table for your laptop

“Not necessarily. Everything leaves a trail, no matter how small a trail, you just need the right tool. I used the right tool when I hacked into Hammer’s mainframe, we just need to use the right tool to hack into the account” you said, fingers flying across the keyboard. 

“You do know that’s illegal right?” Natasha asked from across from you. 

“And do I look like I care Nat?” You asked in turn, typing in different codes.

“God how I have missed you” Bucky chuckled from across the table. You looked up and quickly flashed him a smile. 

“And where did you learn how to do that?” Steve finally spoke again, expecting to see what your answer will be. 

Working with you for the last two days had proven that you could still be the determined, strong woman you’ve always been. 

“I’ve been working for Tony for a year, I let him teach me a thing or two out of boredom,” you said with a quick glance Steve’s way. His jaw clenched and he bulled his hands into fists. He took a big breath and exhaled. 

He didn’t know why he was feeling this way, you weren’t together anymore, but he knew that he still loved you. 

“This is going to take some time,” you said and looked at all of them for a second before averting your attention back on the laptop. 

“How much?” Steve asked, rounding the table and coming behind you.  
  
“A couple of hours at least” 

“Okay. Sam, Bucky get Vanko here, Nat, you and I are bringing Stane in. Y/N, you continue with your hacking thing” he said, shutting his laptop. You looked up at him, jaw clenching. You had a half mind to remind him that he was in no position to boss you around, but decided to keep quiet.

“Be careful” you decided on, sparing each of them a look. Bucky and Sam nodded at you, Nat smiled and Steve just took his jacket and exited the conference room. 

An hour later you had a feeling that you were almost done hacking into the account. The process was slow but you were almost there. 

Neither Sam and Bucky nor Steve and Natasha were back so there was a chance you’d be able to do your job long before they came back with their suspects. 

Your fingers were swiftly flying through the keyboard, the code started decoding itself when your phone suddenly went off. You frowned and took the device in your hand. At the top of the screen sat a message from a blocked number. 

_“114 Solenski Plaza, 3rd floor in 40 minutes. Come alone. Let’s see what proof you have_ ”

You almost wondered. What the hell? 

Steve and Nat were after Stane, the boys were after Vanko, so what did that mean? That there was someone else involved? 

You almost wanted to laugh, of course, there was someone else involved. This was a business in the balance, people got interested if there were money involved. 

You stood up from the chair and pulled your jacket on. The information would be decoded by the time Steve got back, so you picked your phone up from the table and left the conference room. 

You were a couple of meters away from the elevator when a familiar voice sounded behind you. 

“Where are you going?” Captain Coulson asked, hands on his hips with his head tilted in your direction. 

“I’m just going to take a walk. The information is decoding so it should be done in the next twenty or so minutes. I’ll be back by then” you lied, a light smile on your lips. Coulson has always had a soft spot for you, no matter what, so you had a feeling he didn’t suspect anything. 

“Okay, good, because Romanoff and the boys are on their way back now, with our suspects,” he told you, nodded in your direction, and went back into his office. You exhaled and walked to the elevator. 

Great, you were not only an ex-detective now, but a consulting liar too. 

When you exited the precinct, you walked to your car and quickly got in, pulling out of the parking lot and down the streets of New York. 

You were driving fast through traffic. You had sixteen minutes to get there, and you were around seven miles out. 

You were curious, really curious. Were you wrong all along? If there was a third person involved that meant that maybe neither Vanko nor Stane was the real killer. 

You were so deep in your thoughts, you barely heard your phone ringing. Steve’s name and ID sat on the screen, the smile you’d missed so much could be seen, it even reached his eyes. 

You were torn, should you answer, should you not? He’d be furious with you either way, so what difference did it make? You ignored the ringing and continued driving to your destination.

Ten minutes later you pulled upfront of Solenski Plaza. It was an old beat up building. The windows were dirty, barely anything could be see through them. The brownstone outside could be seen through the peeling paint. The inside was probably as good as the outside. 

Even in the early evening light, you were able to see the glowing light on the third floor. 

You turned the car off and reached under the seat. There sat your 22mm Glock. You checked the barrel and the magazine. You took an extra round and put it in your back pocket. With your weapon checked and working, you exited the car and tucked the gun in the waistband of your jeans. 

_Just in case._

You told yourself, and with an exhale you started walking towards the building. Your phone vibrated in your pocket and you almost wished you had left it in the car. 

When you walked into the building it was silent. The inside was as bad looking as the outside. The walls were peeling off, the floor was dusty. Whatever furniture was once neatly placed was now tarnished, covered in dust, and scattered all over the floor. 

You found the stairs and taking them one by one you started making your way up. You were barely making a sound, but you knew that whoever had sent the message knew you were here. 

You weren’t scared, but you slightly wished you had backup, maybe Steve to be here. You’ve always worked wonders together. 

You were also an ex-homicide detective for crying out loud, you should know better than to act up on your own in situations such as this. 

When you reached the 3rd floor you had a half mind to draw your gun just in case, but you resisted the urge. 

You rounded a corner and you were greeted by the single, most surprising view. 

“So, I take it your alibi is not as solid as the NYPD thinks,” you said, walking further into the floor. The person turned at the sound of your voice, an almost bashful smile covering their face. 

“In fact, not at all” she smiled again, her blond hair bounced with every step she took. 

“So, not a bimbo after all” you chuckled, shaking your head. You stopped dead in your tracks when she pulled a gun from behind her. 

“I was never as dumb as everyone played me to be,” she said, turning the gun over in her hands, a sick smile coloring her face. 

“No? So what did you use that brain of yours for? Why did you call me here?” You asked, not moving a muscle. You weren’t scared of her, not one bit. 

“You see, every little thing that I did was so I could get away. Justin wasn’t a nice person and he never would have been, I just wanted to be free” she said, still playing with the gun in her hand.

“So you killed him?” You questioned 

“It was perfect. Stane and Vanko just got associated with him, he had Stark’s work in his hands, money was missing. It was the perfect murder.” She mumbled 

“Wait? The talk, the rumors, that was you? No one was supposed to know, was it? But you saw it as an opportunity” You questioned again.

“All Stark had to do was send one of his most trusted to find that schematic, and there you go, motive, a solid one at that and evidence too. If not, well there were always Stane and Vanko to take the fall, no one would even begin to suspect an assistant. Not until you decided to open that mouth of yours and defend Stark. You couldn’t just keep quiet could you?” She asked drawing the gun up. The safety was still on, so you had time.

“Not when a killer was walking freely and an innocent man, a good man was going to be blamed for it” you snapped, pensive. You knew that aggravating her was the last thing you should be doing, but you couldn’t help it. 

She laughed, an ugly, dry laugh that almost made you snap, but you didn’t. Letting things out in a situation like that, not a good idea, you knew better, you were trained better. 

“A good man? Are you honestly sitting here and telling me that Tony Stark is a good man? Do you know how many people his weapons have killed? How many families his weapons have left behind? The only good thing about Tony Stark is the sex, and you know it, don’t you? That’s why you are defending him because you are screwing him” she spat out with her jaw clenched. 

“Unlike you, I don’t need to screw my boss to rise up to where I am now.” You gritted out, taking a step forward. She gripped the gun tighter, bringing it up even more.

“You really think I had a choice? You really think I wanted to?” 

“Did you?” You questioned, trying with all that you had not to reach for the gun in the waistband of your jeans. 

“I was a well-respected reporter, who made the ugly mistake of sleeping with him. What I didn’t know was that he sex-taped the whole thing. Then he used it to blackmail me into working for him and to continuously sleep with him” she was showing emotion, which meant that you could get to her somehow. Make her rethink the way tonight was going to go. 

“So, you just wanted it to stop?” You asked, gentler this time, making your best to not trigger an outburst. 

“I just wanted to walk out, get my old life back.” 

“Why did you shoot him then?” You opted for a shoot, instead of kill, with the sole purpose of making this conversation go as smooth as possible. No more blood had to be spilled. 

“I went to him with the gun. I wanted to scare him at first, demand him to delete the video, ask to walk away. He thought I wouldn’t shoot, said that I was just playing him.” she explained, hands shaking around the gun. 

“So what happened? He refused to do what you asked?” 

“He told me that I couldn’t walk away now, that I was in too deep already. He said I was bound to him, that I was nothing short of nothing without him.” she choked out this time, shaking even more. 

You were about to speak up when a crack came from around the corner and she stood taller, clicking the safety off. 

Shit, time was running out.

“I thought I told you to come alone” she spat angrily, moving closer to you. You brought your hands up, taking a step back. Now would be a really good time to pull that Glock out of your pants

“I came alone, I am alone,” you said calmly, taking another step back when she took one forward. You could hear footsteps coming from around the corner, and you had a pretty good idea who’s footsteps those were. 

“Like I’m going to believe you. Hey, you pig, you can show yourself now, I know you’re there” she yelled out, taking a few more steps towards you. From around the corner where you had come from, emerged Steve with his gun drawn up.

“It’s over Christine. Put the gun down. Don’t make this harder on yourself” he said in a light tone, taking small and conscious steps towards the both of you. 

“It’s not. It’s over when I get to walk away, get to be free” the gun in her hand moved up to your head and you almost let out a sign. Fucking Rogers, he couldn’t just stay put. “Now you are going to let me go, or this pretty little thing here dies, just like Justin,” she said through clenched teeth. 

You looked at Steve and you almost wanted to yell at him. You were so close to catching her, so close. But no, mister perfect had to make an appearance. 

“That’s not gonna happen. Put the gun down” he said again, taking yet another step towards you. Christine had moved just behind you, you could feel the heat of the gun at the back of your head. 

You looked Steve dead in the eye and gave the slightest nod you could. He gave one back and that was your cue. 

You jabbed your elbow back a bit lower than it reached, hitting her right in the stomach. She moaned out, the gun going a bit slack in her grip. You moved to the side a bit, snatched the gun out of her hand, and used the butt to hit her face. She fell back, sliding to her knees, a hand coming to her slightest bloodied nose. 

You exhaled, watching Steve holster his gun, before walking right up to you. He took his handcuffs out, offering them to you, but you declined. 

He hustled Christine on her feet and stood behind her.

“Christine Everhart, you are under arrest for the murder of Justin Hammer. You have the right to remain silent. Everything you say, can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney, if you can’t afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you.” Steve handcuffed her and started walking towards the exit. 

When you reached the precinct and Christine was sat down to write her confession, you sat outside waiting for Steve to end his conversation with Captain Coulson regarding the case. 

Bucky and Sam were clearing the board to your right and Natasha was putting files away into boxes. 

Soon enough Steve emerged from the captain’s office and strode towards you.

“Well..?” You asked, still comfortably sitting in his chair. 

“Christine is being prosecuted for first-degree murder, Stane and Vanko are charged with fraud and Stark is no longer a suspect,” he said as he leaned against his desk. 

“Good, glad to hear that last one,” you said, circling in the chair.

“You know what? We need to celebrate this. Come on, we are drinking tonight.” Bucky said, wiping the last of the mess on the whiteboard 12th precinct has been using to solve cases for as long as you could remember. 

“As long as it’s on you” Natasha joked, closing the lid of the box full of files.

“I’m in” Sam mumbled, pulling his jacket on. Steve only shook his head with a smile on his lips, before he slipped into his own leather jacket. 

“What do you say, _Lily Rook_? Ready for me to beat you at pool?” he asked, a laugh bubbling up from the back of his throat. 

“Oh you are on Barnes” you stood suddenly, reaching for him and looping your arm through his.

“Wait, why Lily Rook?” Sam asked, walking behind you and Bucky with Natasha next to him and Steve hot on their trail with a smile on his face. 

“Been callin’ her that since we started out as officers. She was a rookie, after all, oh and that ugly lily bracelet that she is still wearing. My God” he laughed again, while you all got into the elevator. 

That ugly lily bracelet had been a gift from Steve when you graduated from the academy. Bucky loved to say that he had been pining after you for a couple of weeks before he finally got the guts to ask you out. It was around the time of graduation when Steve had made it clear that even being your friend was enough for him and gifted you the bracelet. Two years later and you were going on dates, seeing where that would take you. You never once had taken the bracelet off.

“Well, someone special gave it to me way back when. I couldn’t just let that go” you said, sparing Steve a look. He just smiled warmly your way, his eyes lightened at your honesty. 

You all walked to an old favorite of yours, Hawk’s nest. You couldn’t believe that it was still Clint who owned the bar. You had so many memories here, so many great moments you could still remember. 

How many times have you beaten Bucky at pool, or how many times have you tried to out drink Natasha, but you always ended up under the table way before her. 

This whole experience, the last couple of days had reminded you so much of your past, of how things used to be. The last three years had been tough on you, toughed than you expected. The first one and a half where all you wanted to do was be able to call him and tell him how sorry you were, for leaving, for a job of all things. You couldn’t, and it was killing you. 

A long chat with Clint, several games of pool and two martinis later, you sat next to Steve while Bucky and Sam made fools of themselves on darts with Natasha beating both of their asses.

You sat in silence, you stirring at the remains of your second martini and Steve swirling the bourbon in his glass.

“Why did you leave like that?” He finally got to ask the question he has been wanting to ask for the last three years. 

You weren’t supposed to tell him, this was confidential, classified. You were sworn to secrecy, you swore to never talk of this again, but it wasn’t right. It wasn’t right to let him wonder anymore, let him hurt for something you had done years ago.

“I’m not supposed to talk about it Steve, but I was recruited for a job, an undercover job. I had to leave my life here.” you lowered your head, inhaling sharply when you felt his hand on your, glazing your fingers.

“And after that?” He asked, barely above a whisper.

After that? You honestly didn’t know what had happened after that. Sixteen months undercover, posing as someone who wasn’t you. Someone who was so different from who you were, you almost adapted to being this person.

You couldn’t decide what you had to do if you even deserved to go back to the life you had before taking that job. If you deserved the people you left without so much as a glance, back.

“I didn’t know what to do after that. I left just like that, I couldn’t appear back as if nothing happened and expect everything I had before to fall back into place. It wasn’t right, not to me, not to the people around me and definitely not to you” you said as quietly, lifting your gaze and looking at Steve from under your eyelashes. 

“I would have taken you back, but you’ve changed a lot since then,” he told you, placing his hand fully into your, giving it a squeeze before pulling away. 

“I have, haven’t I?” You asked sheepishly, a shy smile on your face.

“Yeah. But you know what people say about change.” 

“What?”

“ _It gives you the opportunity to get to know someone all over again,_ ” he said and extended his hand to you. “Steve Rogers” his voice was soft and earnest, just like the first time he’d said his name to you.

You looked at him for a long moment. He really was ready to set all of this aside, so he could get to know you again. Get to be close to you again. 

You blinked, sniffing just a bit because that was Steve, he was a stubborn, forgiving dork, and he was the stubborn forgiving dork that you once loved, maybe still did. 

You took his hand in his and lightly shook it.

“Y/N Y/L/N” you introduced yourself, as if for the very first time, then let go of his hand. 

“It’s nice to meet you Y/N. Mind if I buy you a drink?” he questioned, a boyish smile coloring his face. You could work with that, you would work with knowing you were forgiven and given the opportunity to resume some kind of relationship with someone you still held dear to this day.

“Not at all.” you smiled back at him. You looked back, spotting Natasha and Sam high-fiving, while Bucky pouted at the side, but quickly started laughing along with them. Steve was still smiling when he ordered you both another drink and slid it your way when it was ready with that same shy smile that had won you over the first time. Yeah, it was good to be back with the people you cherished and loved. It was good to try again.

**Author's Note:**

> I did research on a lot of things, and there are also some things that are made up for the sole purpose of this story. I’m in no way an expert on how the police and law work as well as weapons manufacturing and hacking. There are characters and pieces present from a couple MCU movies, as well as some things that are altered from how they are in the MCU. 
> 
> You can also find me on Tumblr [romaxnogersav](https://romaxnogersav.tumblr.com/)


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